Uncovering Evidence that Border-Crossing Sanctions Worked (IDA Research Summary)

Abstract

The 2022 winner of IDAs Larry D. Welch Award for Best External Publication is Deterring Illegal Entry: Migrant Sanctions and Recidivism in Border Apprehensions, published in American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. The authors used previously unavailable records on Mexican nationals who had been apprehended for illegal entry into the U.S. to produce estimates of the nationals being re-apprehended after U.S. sanctions were imposed during 2008-2012. Their findings imply that new U.S. administrative sanctions accounted for 28 to 44 of the decline in recidivism as observed in the number of re-apprehensions. These findings suggest that, contrary to criticism at the time, sanctions may be a cost-effective strategy for deterring illegal entry, an important step in designing viable immigration policy.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2022
Accession Number
AD1211950

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  • John E. Whitley
  • Sarah K. John

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  • Institute for Defense Analyses

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